A passenger planning to board a flight at Newark Liberty International Airport was instead taken to a hospital for evaluation after security screeners found a large canister of tear gas in his sock.

Federal officials say the man, whose name was not disclosed, was going through a security checkpoint on Friday when an automated image technology scanner detected something amiss. A screener then found the 10-inch canister.

The man — who was scheduled to fly to Munich, Germany — was denied access to the gate. But the incident did not cause any disruptions or delays for passengers.